Man who shot at North Myrtle Beach police and ran was wanted for kidnapping, warrants show
North Myrtle Beach police officers found themselves in an early morning shootout Thursday with a man wanted on several felony charges related to alleged assaults on a woman.
He’s now facing additional charges including attempted murder.
Those are among new details released Friday afternoon by city officials, a day after authorities arrested 40-year-old William Joshua Alston inside the Briarcliffe RV Resort following a lengthy manhunt.
Just after 2 a.m. Thursday, officers found a vehicle they knew to be owned by Alston in the Ironwood condominium complex of Barefoot Landing Resort with its lights still on but nobody inside, the incident report states.
Police then heard movement behind a building and saw a man duck behind a green electrical box.
After disobeying orders to surrender, the man opened fire on police, who took cover behind a brick wall while exchanging gunfire, according to the report.
Nobody was hurt during the gun battle, but it gave the suspect time to escape, and he wasn’t arrested until just before 1 p.m. City officials had locked down numerous communities in the area warning of the armed and dangerous man for several hours.
Eventually, Alston was found hiding underneath a trailer thanks to a multi-agency search that included city police and an Horry County SWAT and bloodhound team.
Alston was scheduled to have a bond hearing Friday according to court records, but no bond information was available on the J. Reuben Long Detention Center’s website, which lists him as still incarcerated with no bail set.
In total, Alston is now facing two charges of first-degree domestic violence, kidnapping, first-degree assault and battery, two charges of attempted murder, possession of anabolic steroids and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Alston was wanted on the felony domestic violence and kidnapping warrants stemming from a pair of confrontations that began in late June, according to separate incident reports.
A woman being treated June 23 at the Grand Strand Medical Center for injuries including broken ribs told police that Alston assaulted her inside her home during an argument, the report states.
That same woman later told police she was awakened July 3 by a suppressed rifle held by Alston poking her in the chest, according to the report. He then forced her to ride through the city’s Barefoot area for about 30 minutes before she eventually negotiated her release.
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 5:21 PM.